Braces
by The UnKnown1913
Summary: Neji has been missing training with team Gai recently and his team starts getting worried. Or. That one moment Neji gets self-conscious about his looks and Tenten has none of it. Just flat out fluff.


**AN:** Hi! I decided to write something again, and, as I'm rewatching Naruto, I thought it would be a good Idea to make a fic for the fandom. This is not exactly what I thought at first, but I do like the ending result. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it! R&R as it gives writers stamina to keep going!

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It was a sunny day in Konoha. Not an uncommon thing to happen, but today seemed different, for whatever reason. The wind was fresh as it flew through the forest's trees, making a nice breeze for anyone in the training grounds. Which served no purpose, as this day, Tenten found herself alone during her throwing practice. Gai-sensei and Lee were out in a mission and wouldn't be back until late that day and, Neji had some sort of Hyuuga business he had to attend to. Feeling a little bit left out by her team, and nearing lunch time, she decided to cut it short for the day. Tomorrow would be a new day, anyway.

A few days passed and Neji still hadn't appeared.

Lee and Tenten were training in their usual training ground, Gai-sensei having left them to do some errands, but promising he would be back later to check on their improvement. Although the training had been long forgotten over the worry of their paled eyed partner.

"This is weird, isn't it? Neji has never missed a training session, much less so many followed together." Lee commented on a serious tone, facing the weapon master.

"I know, Lee... But what can we do? I'm..." Suddenly, her words were silenced by Lee's excited speech.

"WE SHOULD GOT TO THE HYUUGA COMPOUND AND ASK TO MEET HIM! They cannot refuse if we are already there to...!" This time, it was her time to interrupt him abruptly.

"Don't you think I already thought of that? We are not allowed into the Hyuuga compound, remember? Geez..." She thought for a moment. looking at the trees as if they would provide her of an answer "That's it! We can go to Hinata and get her to bring him to us. He would never neglect anything from her" She finished with a smile in her face. Lee, on the other hand, seem not to agree with her brilliant idea if his disapproving look was anything to go by.

"I don't think we should get him under false statement or misgivings. It's not going to be honorable."

"We are ninja, Lee! We are not supposed to be that honorable"

Then, a new voice joined them.

"We could go all together, and I could ask for him to come out. He has been absent after all, and as his Jounin in charge, is my obligation to look for his well being."

The two genins faces brightened up at their sensei's statement, until they realized something.

"Now, my youthful and beautiful pupils..." The two genin fell two steps back, trying to put more distance between them and the adult, but to no use. "WHY ARE YOU NOT USING YOUR MOST YOUTHFUL ENERGY ON GETTING STRONGER, MORE BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL?!"

The next day, they agreed to meet outside the Hyuuga's compound. Just at a safe distance, before actually going to the main entrance.

"Well, this is it, right?"

"So it seems"

"We haven't been here since the last time they kicked us out"

"Fear not, my beautiful pupils, I will not let any harm come to you."

"Hai, Gai-sensei!"

Just as they were talking, a door pulled open and a paled eyed man met their nervous glances with a disapprovement in his eyes. Sensing he was about to tell them off, Gai quickly stated their reason to be there and urgency on wanting to actually see Neji, instead of merely hearing he was alright. The Hyuuga, whom had never been subject to Gai's intense personality, promised them their teammate would join them the next day in training.

"WHAT?!" Tenten shouted, perplexed to what her eyes were seeing.

Neji had finally joined them, after being missing for almost a week. Nothing indicated he had been hurt to justify his absence. Actually, he looked pretty much the same as always, that was until he spoke his first words to his team and everyone saw he had braces. Everyone reacted the way the Hyuuga thought the would. Lee had assured him he looked wonderful and had nothing to feel bad about as the braces wouldn't affect his duty as a ninja while making a nice guy pose, Gai-sensei had started shouting promises that braces were a fine asset to have and would help him to reach an even a manlier youthful self with perfect teeth. The one he had been slightly dissapointed about had been the weapon mistress, whom had just shouted and fainted.

Their practice went on and on like that several times. Finally reaching a breaking point, the paled eyed sighed while releasing a low "I have never felt more humiliated in my life"

"Common, Neji! This is for your health! l am certain you will get your dentition in the most perfect state and then you will be able to share the path of youth! YOU WILL EVEN ACCOMPANY ME AND GAI-SENSEI IN MAKING NICE GUY POSES!

"You're so right, my beloved pupil!"

"Lee! Gai-sensei! You're both embarrassing Neji! We are not doing anything anyway, why don't you both go to run some laps around the village!"

"You're so eloquent, Tenten. C'mon, Lee, let's give them space to share their springtime of youth!"

"HAI, GAI-SENSEI!"

As the two green beasts left running, the kunoichi sighed. She didn't understand what the fuzz was. The braces actually made Neji look kind of handsome. It's true she had fainted, but had been only out of surprise. She only hoped the Hyuuga hand't taken it the bad way.

Just in front of her, the shinobi struggled the same. They had been together for a while, as they started dating just a few months after Naruto's departure. It baffled him that she could actually like him enough to confront his clan's set of rules just to date him. But now, everything lost it's meaning if she was so put off by him having braces. Not many knew this, but was quite self conscious about his looks. It had not even been his choice. Hiashi-sama had put him through it, for whatever reason.

"Neji," The alluded straightened his face, just realizing he had been staring at the floor "why where you so ashamed of this?"

The paled eyed youth wasn't so sure how two answer. _Should I tell her? How much will she understand? _Were the kind of questions that plagued his mind, making an embarrassingly prominent blush to appear on his cheeks.

"Even tough I am not a first brand family member, as a Hyuuga, I am expected to perform perfectly on everything."

"I understand that, but what has that anything to do with your braces?"

His companion mocked glared at her.

" I wasn't finished."

Saying sorry, she let him continue. He blushed, again.

"That also extends to physical appearance. I wasn't good enough on my own and had to be corrected. And it seems... Even if Gai-sensei and Lee don't care about it, you don't seem to like it" She noticed his voice trembled a bit in shame in the last part and a pang of guilt flooded through her.

"Don't be silly, Neji" She felt him suddenly getting angered, so she quickly continued while getting closer to him, enough to caress his cheek "I don't mind you having these braces" He looked like he didn't believe her, so she tried smiling at him "I was just surprised. I actually think you look good with them."

She finished giving him a kiss. They had kissed several times, in private, but never with something in between like this. So when Neji tasted iron and he heard his girlfriend mouth a small groan in complaint, he was surprised. The weapon mistress was sticking her tongue out.

"I think you cut me with one of your braces"

His faced deformed in what she could read as mild terror.

"Don't worry, is not much" She moved to show him his fingers with few drops of blood "I'm fine, see"

He didn't seem convinced though, so she took him from the collar of his shirt kissed him. Sometimes, it was startling to know he could be so insecure about himself.

"When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change. You're amazing the way you are"

With this, she hugged him and they stayed there, for a while, just enjoying the moment. Smiling and hearing -more like feeling- each others heartbeat.

"Neji...?"

"Hmmm...?"

"Just don't bit my tongue again with your braces."

With a slight cackle, he agreed and kissed her forehead.

"Promise"


End file.
